Arrangement for hanging curtains



Dec. 17, 1968 B. KOHAUT ARRANGEMENT FOR HANGING CURTAINS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1966 Ill/Ill Dec. 17, 1968 B. KOHAUT 3,416,672

ARRANGEMENT FOR HANGING CURTAINS Filed Dec. 13, 1966 2 SheetsSheet 2 -'7 "Quad 170112 W ZWW/ V/K///// K/// 2 United States Patent 3,416,672 ARRANGEMENT FOR HANGING CURTAINS Betty Kohaut, Geisenheimer Sflasse 133, Frankfurt am Main-Schwanheim, Germany Filed Dec. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 601,417 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 27, 1965,

3 Claims. of. 211 103 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An arrangement for hanging curtains including a movable curtain rod having a guide track, and an assembly for lowering the rod from its normal position to facilitate securing a curtain to the track.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to an arrangement for hanging curtains and more particularly to an arrangement having a curtain supporting rod movable between an elevated in-use position and a lowered position.

Usually, curtains are suspended from rods fixed to ceilings, lintels, frames or the like so the curtain can be moved along the rod. With this type of arrangement the curtain hanging process involves a procedure which is laborious, time-consuming and unsafe. Usually, the person hanging the curtain must climb a ladder or chair in order to hang the curtain from the elevated rod. In the past falls from this precarious position have caused serious injury to the person hanging the curtain.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reliable curtain hanging arrangement which facilitates the curtain hanging operation.

In accordance with the present invention an improved arrangement is provided for hanging curtains. The arrangement comprises a curtain rod having at least one guide track which is conveniently raised or lowered by a lifting assembly and which can be locked in place against a stationary anchor rail when the curtain rod is in a normal in-use position.

The curtain hanging operation is easily accomplished by first unlocking the curtain rod from the stationary anchor rail and then lowering the rod by manipulating the lifting assembly. The curtain can then be attached to the curtain rod at ground level, thus eliminating the need for ladders, platforms, tables and the like. After securing the curtain to the guide track the rod and curtain are raised to the elevation of the anchor rail by means of the lifting assembly. The curtain rod is then locked in place against the anchor rail and remains in this position until removal or change of the curtain is desired.

Locking the curtain rod to the stationary anchor rail functions to relieve the load of the curtain on the lifting assembly. For locking purposes, guide pieces, tongues, pins or studs may be mounted on the curtain rod to engage catches or similar devices on the stationary rail when these members abut each other. One of the elements of the lock may be movable to facilitate releasable locking engagement between the members when lowering of the curtain rod is desired.

The elevating assembly may comprise cables or cords fixed to the movable curtain rod and trained about several pulleys and guide rollers on the stationary anchor rail. The free end of the cord is positioned adjacent one side of the curtain and manipulation of this cord elevates or lowers the movable curtain rod. Such positioning of the cord, pulleys and guide rollers operates to conceal the elevating assembly when the curtain rod is its normal position.

To simplify manufacture of the curtain hanging arrangement, both the curtain rod and the stationary anchor rail may have the same length and each can be provided with correspond-ing cross-sectional areas. For example, a box profile slotted on one side may be utilized to construct both the curtain rod and the anchor rails. In the case of a curtain rod having a single guide track each box profile can have a U-shaped cross-section with inwardly directed shoulders or projections fixed to the sides of the profile.

Additionally, the movable curtain rod can be completely hidden by the anchor rail when the curtain rod is in its elevated position. For such purposes, the front wall of the stationary anchor rail may be extended downwardly so the movable curtain rod and the curtain attaching hooks or gliders in the guide track on that rod are covered by the front wall of the stationary curtain rail, thus eliminating the need for a valance. 0n the other hand, a separate valance may be used by simply attaching the valance to the stationary anchor rail, if desired.

The curtain hanging arrangement may also be constructed so the movable rod comprises only a small portion of the entire curtain rod construction. The guide track on the movable curtain rod portion is arranged to mate with the guide track on the fixed curtain rod portion so the curtain can travel along the entire length of the curtain rod. In this application of the invention, the entire length of the curtain is first positioned within the movable curtain rod portion before that portion is lowered to facilitate removal of the curtain.

Brief description of the drawing Novel features of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from 'a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an arrangement according to the present invention with parts broken away to show detail;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a detailed sectional view of the locking assembly of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment according to the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line &8 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 5 with the movable curtain rod portion in a lowered position; and

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken along line 1010 of FIGURE 9.

Detailed description FIGURE 1 illustrates an arrangement 10 for hanging a curtain 12 from a support surface 14. The arrangement comprises an inverted U-shaped anchor rail 16 secured to the support surface 14 by suitable fasteners (not shown). A movable curtain rod 18 is connected for movement toward and away from the stationary anchor rail 16 by an elevating assembly 20 comprising a series of cables or cords 22 secured to the movable curtain rod 18. Each of the cables extends upwardly from the curtain rod and is trained about a pulley 24 journaled to the anchor rail 16. Each cable runs from its associated pulley to a master pulley 26 rotatably secured to the anchor rail at one end 3 thereof. From the master pulley 26 the cables 22 extend downwardly to a weight 28.

The movable curtain rod 18 has a track 30 for guiding curtain attaching elements 32 along the rod. As shown in FIGURE 2, the curtain rod 18 has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross-section and the sides of this cross-section include inwardly directed projections 34 that form the guide track. The curtain attaching elements 32 may comprise roller hooks, roller rings, roller clips or any other convenient means for attaching the curtain 12 to the rod.

A locking assembly is provided for locking the movable curtain rod 18 to the stationary anchor rail 16 when the curtain rod is in its elevated position adjacent the anchor rail. The locking arrangement comprises locking lugs 36 secured to the movable curtain rod at spaced intervals along its length. Each of the locking lugs has an enlarged end portion with an inclined surface to facilitate locking of the movable curtain rod to the stationary anchor rail, as explained more fully below. The locking assembly also includes a spring biased locking pin 38 for each locking projection 36. As shown in FIGURE 3, each locking pin 38 is slidably attached to the stationary anchor rail 16 by a bracket 39 fixed to the anchor rail. The locking pin is urged to the full extent of its outward travel by a coil spring 40 which reacts between a projection 41 on the pin and the bracket 39. Each locking pin is connected to an adjacent pin by a cable 42 which is trained about a pulley 44 located next to the master pulley 26. The cable runs from the pulley 44 downwardly to a pull 46 attached to the free end of the cable.

Assuming the movable curtain rod 18 is locked in place against the stationary anchor rail 16, the curtain 12 can be removed from the curtain hanging arrangement in the following manner. First, the pull 46 connected to the cable 42 is drawn downwardly thereby causing the locking pins 38 to move to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 1, against the force of the coil springs 40. As the cable 42 is drawn downwardly, the operator grasps the cable 22 of the elevating assembly to prevent the movable curtain rod 18 from dropping when it is released from locking engagement with the stationary anchor rail. Next, the operator allows the curtain rod 18 to move downwardly under the influence of gravity until the rod is at a convenient elevation to facilitate removal of the curtain material 12. When the curtain rod 18 is so positioned the cable 22 may be wound around a cleat 50 located adjacent the cable, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. The curtain 12 is detached from the curtain attaching elements 32 and the new curtain then is attached to these elements. Finally, the operator releases the cable 22 from the cleat 50 and draws that cable downwardly until the locking lugs 36 on the movable curtain rod contact the pins 38 on the stationary anchor rail. The inclined surface at the end of each locking lug urge the locking pin inwardly against the force of the coil spring 40 until the enlarged terminal portion on the lug clears the pin. Each coil spring 40 then snaps its respective pin outwardly under the enlarged terminal portion of the locking lug to thereby lock the movable curtain rod to the stationary anchor rail.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGURE 4 and includes a stationary anchor rail 60 secured to a support surface in the area the curtain is to be hung. In this embodiment of the invention an elevating assembly 62 comprises a transverse shaft 64 journaled to the framework of the anchor rail. A spool or reel 66, at one end of the shaft 64, has a cable 68 fixed thereto and movement of the cable causes the spool to rotate the shaft, as explained more fully below. The shaft 64 of the elevating assembly 62 also carries a series of smaller spools 70 fixed to the rod at spaced intervals along its length. Each of the spools 70 has a cable 72 attached thereto and those cables extend downwardly through openings 74 in the anhcor rail 60 and are attached to the curtain rod.

The arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 4 also includes a curtain rod 76 movable between an elevated normal position adjacent the anchor rail, and a lowered position spaced from the anchor rail. The movable curtain rod 76 has a pair of guide tracks 78, 80 and curtain attaching elements 82 travel along the guide tracks in the same manner as described above in conjunction with the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-3.

In operation, the movable curtain rod 76 is raised and lowered by manipulating the cable 68 of the elevating assembly 62. When the cable 68 is pulled downwardly the spool 66 is caused to rotate which in turn rotates the transverse shaft 64. Rotation of the shaft causes the smaller spools 70 to draw the cables 72 in an upward direction, the cables being wound upon their associated spools as the shaft rotates. As can readily be understood, the movable curtain rod 76 finally abuts the anchor rail 60. A downwardly extending portion 84 on the anchor rail 60 completely covers the movable curtain rod 76 and the curtain attaching elements 82, thus eliminating the need for a valance or similar decorative plate.

The movable curtain rod 76 includes a series of locking lugs 86 similar in design to the lugs 36 described above in conjunction with the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-3. Locking pins (not shown) are provided to engage the locking lugs to releasably lock the movable curtain rod 76 to the anchor rail 60 in the same manner as described above in conjunction with the embodiment shown in FIG- URES l-3.

FIGURES 5-10 illustrate another arrangement for hanging curtain material 102 from a support surface 104. This arrangement comprises an anchor rail 106 secured to the support surface 104 by suitable fasteners (not shown). A movable curtain rod portion 108 having a substantially smaller length than the overall length of the anchor rail is connected for movement toward and away from the rail by an elevating assembly 110 comprising a pair of cables 112 secured to the movable curtain rod portion 108. The cables 112 extend upwardly from the movable curtain rod portion and each cable is trained about a pulley 114 journaled to the framework of the anchor rail 106. Each cable runs from its associated pulley 114 to a master pulley 116 rotatably secured to the anchor rail 106 at one end thereof. From the master pulley 116 the cables 112 extend downwardly to a weight 118.

The movable curtain rod portion 108 has a track 120 for guiding curtain attaching elements 122 along that curtain rod portion. As shown in FIGURES 7 and 10, the

movable curtain rod portion 108 'has a substantially in verted U-shaped cross-section and the sides of this crosssection include inwardly directed shoulders 124 that form the guide track. As previously described, the curtain attaching elements 122 may comprise roller hooks, roller rings, roller clips or any other convenient means for attaching the curtain material 102 to the movable curtain rod portion 108.

The anchor rail 106 also carries a fixed curtain rod portion 126 having a length which is approximately equal to the difference between the overall length of the anchor rail and the movable curtain rod portion. The fixed curtain rod portion 126 is integral with the anchor rail 106 and comprises the lower half of that rail. The fixed portion has a track 128 for guiding the curtain attaching elements 122 along that portion of the curtain rod. As explained more fully below, when the movable curtain rod is in its elevated in-use position the guide track 120 of the movable rod portion mates with the guide track 128 of the fixed portion126.

A locking assembly is provided for locking the movable curtain rod portion 108to the stationary anchor rail 106 when the movable rod is elevated to a position adjacent the anchor rail. The locking assembly comprises locking lugs 130 secured to the movable curtain rod portion 108 at spaced intervals along its length. Each of the locking lugs has a slot 132 and a terminal inclined surface 134 to facilitate locking of the movable curtain rod portion 108 to the stationary anchor rail, as explained more fully below. As shown in FIGURE 8, the locking assembly includes a U-shaped locking plate 136 slidably attached to the stationary anchor rail 106 by bracket structure 138. The locking plate 136 is urged to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 8, by a coil spring 140 connected between the framework of the anchor rail and the locking plate. The plate 136 is also connected to a cable 142 which is trained about a pulley 144 located adjacent the master pulley 116. The cable 142 runs from the pulley 144 downwardly to a pull 146 attached to the free end of the cable.

The curtain 102 is removed from the curtain hanging arrangement illustrated in FIGURES 5-10 in the following manner. First, the curtain material is moved from the fixed curtain rod portion 126 to the movable curtain rod portion 108. When the entire curtain is within the confines of the movable curtain rod portion the pull 146 connected to the cable 142 is drawn downwardly thereby causing the locking plate 136 to move to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 8, against the force of the coil spring 140. As the cable 142 is drawn downwardly the operator grasps the cable 112 of the elevating assembly 110 to prevent the movable curtain rod portion 108 from dropping when it is released from locking engagement with the stationary anchor rail. The operator then allows the movable rod portion 108 to move downwardly under the influence of gravity until that rod portion is at a convenient elevation to facilitate removal of the curtain material. When the movable curtain rod portion 108 is so positioned the cable 112 may be wound around a cleat 148 located adjacent the cable, as illustrated in FIGURE 9.

Next, the curtain material is detached from the curtain attaching elements 122 and the new curtain is then attached to these elements. Finally, the operator releases the cable 112 from the cleat 148 and draws that cable downwardly until the locking lugs 130 on the movable curtain rod portion 108 contact the legs of the locking plate 136 on the stationary anchor rail. The inclined surface 134 at the end of each locking lug urges the locking plate away from the legs against the force of the coil spring 140. Eventually, the coil spring 140 urges the locking plate 136 toward the locking lugs so that the legs of the locking plate are disposed Within the slots 132 in the locking lugs thereby locking the movable curtain rod portion 108 to the stationary anchor rail.

The curtain rods and anchor rails of the present inven- 4 tion may be constructed of metal, wood, moldable plastic materials and the like. Thermoplastic synthetic materials are particularly useful since guide tracks fabricated from these materials provide smooth frictionless surfaces upon which the curtain attaching elements can easily move.

I claim:

1. An arrangement for hanging curtains comprising an anchor rail, a curtain rod connected for movement toward and away from the anchor rail, a track on the curtain rod for guiding curtain attaching means along the rod, an elevating assembly connected to move the curtain rod between an elevated in-use position adjacent the anchor rail and a lowered position spaced from the anchor rail, and a releasable locking assembly for locking the movable curtain rod to the anchor rail when the rod is elevated to its in-use position, the locking assembly including lugs on the curtain rod and movable locking ,means on the anchor rail connected to engage the lugs 'when the curtain rod is elevated to its in-use position, the

elevating assembly having cables connected to the locking lugs on the curtain rod to facilitate movement of the rod.

2. An arrangement for hanging curtains comprising an anchor rail, a curtain rod connected for movement toward and away from the anchor rail, a track on the curtain rod for guiding curtain attaching means along the rod, the anchor rail having a substantially greater length than the movable curtain rod, and an elevating assembly connected to move the curtain rod between an elevated in-use position adjacent the anchor rail and a lowered position spaced from the anchor rail.

3. An arrangement for hanging curtains as in claim 2 wherein the anchor rail includes a fixed curtain rod portion having a guide track that mates with the guide track of the movable curtain rod when the movable rod is elevated to its in-use position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 583,316 5/1897 Weston 248-329 2,654,486 10/ 1953 Lunokvist -338 X 2,910,121 10/1959 Stern et al. 160-125 3,005,557 10/1961 Lundquist 211-103 3,120,895 2/1964 Mahana et a1. 160-333 FOREIGN PATENTS 531,428 I/ 1941 Great Britain.

5 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

I. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 160-333 

